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Friday, July 20, 2012

Making Computing Easier?

Computer and mobile device designers are constantly "improving" devices so that they are easier to use, lighter and more compact, more aesthetically appealing (colored cases, etc.) and overall more attractive to buyers. It isn't enough that the technology naturally changes (every 18 months, right?) but more that consumers continue to be demanding and voracious in their appetites for communicating, shrinking the world, and making the worlds "business" their business.

While doing my normal Internet day, today, I suddenly became acutely aware of all the "stuff" happening on the desktop. Things that I want to use every day were loading, but also things I knew nothing about were popping-up and intruding on my workspace. They would be considered "trusted" in a security sense, but obviously unwanted at the time.

Suddenly I was browsing to a website and again, new material was overlaying the expected page to which I browsed and I was somehow expected to make a number of decisions to proceed or take action in ways that were unfamiliar to me. I needed to clear the overlay (ad I suppose) to get to the material I was looking for. Kudos to the graphics folks for being so clever technically. Damn you to the marketing people who actually believe that I will respond favorably.

I mention all this as a way of saying thanks to the Internet content providers who still keep it simple and damn you (again) to all those who confuse and delay me. Now, understand that I am not so naive as to believe that free content and information on the Internet doesn't come without a price. Its only that this user is not willing to wait or mess with confusing "stuff" to get to the target. It's too great a price.

I'M JUST NOT GOING TO BROWSE TO THAT SITE ANY MORE. And I don't care if I've been tracked or profiled or otherwise "selected" to receive that content or advertising message. I'm done!

We all need to dig in our heels in similar fashion or it will just get worse. And trust me, the solution is not as simple as throwing junk mail into the recycle bin.